New Industry Products

KEMET Enhances High Voltage Product Portfolio with Flexible Termination System

September 14, 2010 by Jeff Shepard

KEMET Corp. announced the addition of high voltage to its Flexible Termination product lines. KEMET High Voltage Flexible Termination Capacitors (HV FT-CAP) in X7R dielectric reduce ceramic chip failures in high voltage applications. Flexible Termination technology was developed to address flex cracks, the primary failure mode of surface mount multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs). This technology directs circuit board stress away from the ceramic body and into the termination area, therefore reducing the risk of mechanical damage to the component that can result in low IR or short circuit failures.

"KEMET is excited to expand our leading edge flex mitigation technology into high voltage applications," said Bill Sloka, KEMET Product Manager for Ceramics. "Flexible Termination systems have proven their worth by reducing the risk of board-flex failures and increasing long term component reliability. This product enhancement reinforces KEMET’s commitment to offering the most complete line of capacitance solutions in the industry."

The HV FT-CAP is designed for a number of applications including power supplies, dc-dc converters, LCD fluorescent backlight ballasts, HID lighting, telecommunications equipment, industrial equipment and control, computer LAN/WAN interfaces, digital modems and hybrid automotive motor control circuits. Any safety-critical application or circuit containing a connector close to a capacitor can benefit from KEMET Flexible Termination technology.

KEMET’s Flexible Termination system utilizes a conductive silver epoxy between the base metal and nickel barrier layers of KEMET’s standard termination system in order to establish pliability while maintaining terminal strength, solderability and electrical performance. This technology was developed to address flex cracks which are typically the result of excessive shear stresses produced during board flexure or thermal cycling. Flexible Termination technology directs board flex stress away from the ceramic body and into the termination area, therefore mitigating flex cracks which can result in low IR or short circuit failures.